House of Niall
The House of Niall is a Kul Tiran great house that maintains a presence on the island March of Ban'diel. The house originally was tasked to ensure that Kul Tiran interests in commerce were protected at the high seas on its way to to allied kingdoms. The current Margrave and Lord of the House Niall is Lord Davrum Niall and the house and its retainers are explicit sponsors of the Holy Order of the Light's Vigilants. History Abridged Founded in 593 K.C. by the late Geromus Niall, the House Niall had always been an unnamed and less than noteworthy house. With the claiming of the island, however, the House Niall was put on the map. With the intended purpose of expanding Kul Tiran interests Geromus started allocating supplies to the island to begin starting a local infrastructure, however he was met with resistance by the local pagan population when he began trying to spread the influence of the Holy Light and the Church as well. The Sacking of Radiance Upon establishing Radiance, the capital of the newly claimed province, this stirred the nomadic and pagan denizens of the island to outrage. By the prompting of sending missionaries to traditionally pagan settlements the sentiment for the House Niall's presence was diminished significantly. Geromus Niall's lack of policy in regards to maintaining relations led to the Siege of Radiance in 596 K.C. The small settlement was surrounded by heavily armed warbands and overrun, killing a total of 146 settlers and 29 men-at-arms. The entirety of the settlement was put to the torch, all except Geromus' quarters which was spared, forcing him to allow the remaining settlers to take shelter within. The result of the Siege of Radiance was the establishment of a more secure and fortified city, complete with walls and Radiance Keep, the new seat of power. Geromus' quarters was left within the city walls, and currently acts as a barracks for the standing military of Radiance. Tragedy In the early days of 599 K.C. tragedy unfolded within the fledgling House Niall. The House's patriarch, Geromus Niall was lost at sea while on an expedition to continue to expand his territories and locate new sources of income for his house. Geromus' fate is unknown, yet the man was a seasoned sailor and Lord-Admiral of Kul Tiras, therefore his strange disappearance led to the conclusion that his ship capsized somewhere west of Ban'diel. This tragic happening is what brought about the raising of a young Davrum Niall to patriarch, yet due to his inexperience and age he relied heavily on his house retainers to do the administrating of affairs on the island. Golden Years of Ban'diel The charismatic nature of Lord Davrum Niall brought about a much higher level of loyalty to the House Niall then that of his Father. Davrum's inquisitive nature led him to travel around the island by horse and meet with the people of each individual settlement. Albeit the island wasn't wealthy, and the conditions were rough, Davrum ensured that he was able to take care of his people no matter what. Through mentoring by the house Exchequer, Jacob Luxford on the importance of bringing wealth to Ban'diel, as well as influence from his various retainers, Davrum grew to popularity. Although his personality helped the people of Ban'diel get through hard times, his reliance on his retainers left him powerless in regards to making executive decisions. Absence of the Figurehead During the time of the War against the Lich King in Northrend, Davrum knew that his inaction on Ban'diel would not yield results for the world at large. With his idealism leading the way Davrum left Ban'diel to fight for the Argent Crusade, more specifically the Brotherhood of the Light, in an attempt to prevent the Scourge from spreading throughout the world. This left his retainers with absolute power over the island, and thus began the island's descent into political turmoil. Without Davrum's presence some of his retainers, most notably Jacob Luxford, began to progressively spread their influence over the island. The Return of Davrum Davrum's return to Ban'diel was not denoted by parades or fanfare in his honor, for his accolades to the north were not professed outwardly. Davrum returned quietly to his keep where he spent the better part of a year working to organize an organization that truly reflected the Light's virtues. Davrum also returned wedded to Avalone Niall, an Argent Crusader that he met in the north who he bonded with in length, and her presence was also not seen due to her remaining to the north near Hearthglen. Davrum's return however did solicit a response by Jacob Luxford in that he began to put into motion a plan to usurp the House Niall in an attempt to forge Ban'diel into a trade confederacy to benefit his personal coffers. Davrum's return was short lived when he was reunited with his wife and subsequently set sail to Stormwind City where he founded the Holy Order of the Light's Vigilants. The Civil War of 626 K.C. By 626 K.C. Jacob Luxford and his collaborators had set their plans into motion and seized a large amount of territories to the north that were integral to the House Niall's presence on the island. Making Eastcliff their capital, the newly anointed Trade Baron of Ban'diel set out on a campaign of subjugation and terror, taking advantage of any means of making coin that he could. Travelling with the Holy Order of the Light's Vigilants upon two newly commissioned warships, Davrum landed in Radiance and has subsequently been retaking the island. Holdings & Territories House Niall has traditionally had holdings within Kul Tiras, the once small house being located within a manor in within Boralus in a minor advisory role to the Proudmoore family. In 593 K.C. however, Lord-Admiral Geromus Niall landed on distant island marked on maps only as Ban'diel or 'the traveler's gate'. Lord-Admiral Niall quickly began to set up holdings on this island in a hope to help protect Kul Tiran commerce on its way to the other various kingdoms of the Alliance. The seat of power on the island, Radiance, was named after the majestic sunsets seen on the plot of land to the west. From this point forward the House of Niall has set up a large portion of the settlements on Ban'diel, aside from Helmstead which was a fledgling settlement populated by the island's local pagan populace of Vrykul descent. Territories under House Niall * Radiance * Dawn's Reach * The Vigil * Hillsford * Eastcliff * West Hamlet * Midpass Outpost * Tundra Point Outpost * Greysail * Helmstead * Farbrook * Halls of the Illuminated * Silverstead * Pinehold (Contested) The House Niall maintains presence in these locations with a force of roving cavalry and footmen who marshal and sheriff the locations. The larger settlements always have a small force of professional guards, and the portcullis' of the cities have the flowing banners of the great house. Retainers The retainers of the House of Niall are mostly composed of hand selected men and women who do administrative duties on behalf of the house. These tasks include organizing a military, agriculture, trade, as well as maintaining a good relationship with the populace. The Seneschal of Radiance ensures that the day-to-day administrative duties of Radiance Keep is done with efficiency and tactfulness. The Seneschal is one of the Lord's essential advisors in regards to matter of politics, military, and economics. The Master of Horses is in charge of ensuring that the beasts of burden that are utilized by the military as well as for commerce are maintained and ready for use. This means ensuring horseshoes are made available, armor is forged and properly fitted for war-horses, and horses are bred for proper stock. The Exchequer retains the role of ensuring that the March's finances are well in order. This means he or she employs tax collectors to traverse the countryside and collect income for the house. The Exchequer is also integral in balancing budgets to put aside coin for public works projects. The Captain of the Guard is employed to keep the peace not only within the walls of Radiance, but to also ensure the countryside is protected from plunderers and vagabonds. He or she also works in collaboration with Guard Captains from other settlements keep the peace and ensure justice on Ban'diel. Military The military forces of House Niall are composed of both levied troops as well as a professional standing military. It is broken down into divisions incorporating infantry, artillery, cavalry, engineering, and naval forces. Due to the House Niall being in charge of the harsh frontier March of Ban'diel all of the troops are specialized and outfitted with high tier arms and armor. Irregulars Made up mostly of rag-tag groups of farmers and other levies from the countryside the irregulars are an eclectic fighting force. Outfitted in hand-me-down armor usually, these forces can be called on at any time to fight for the House Niall in case of dire circumstances. Albeit they are not part of the regular fighting force they are not to be trifled with, for the harsh lands of Ban'diel have forged them into a very physically capable fighting force. Radiance Regulars These footmen and cavalry from Radiance are known by their high level of readiness and their elite skills utilizing falchions. Stationed within a complex known as Geromus' quarters, these soldiers train consistently with utilizing Ban'diel's treacherous terrain to their advantage, as well as being well versed with naval-to-land and boarding tactics from their strong Kul Tiran background. These men and women can be seen reeving the countryside to ensure that peace is kept, usually denoted by a banner-man who rides in the front with the House Niall colors flowing in the wind. Engineers A small group of engineers are embedded within each town under the House Niall's banners. This is to ensure that in times of besiegement they can thwart enemies attempting to take the walls and to ensure all equipment, such as ballistas and trebuchets, are maintained. Naval Forces The Naval Forces of Ban'diel, being of Kul Tiran descent, used to be one of the grandest fleets on the Great Sea. In an unfortunate turn of events the fleet had been recently seized by roving pirates who took hold of Ban'diel's major naval port Pinehold. At full capacity the navy of Ban'diel has a variety of different ships, all outfitted with boarding parties of Radiance Regulars and elemental magic users from the Illuminated to move wind into the sails, making them some of the fastest ships on the sea. Currently the fleet only has three functioning ships: * The Pride of Radiance * The Berserker * The Reach Trade House Niall has been noted to be prime exports of Azure Iron, Silversage, Wool, and Lumber. The mineral dense land has made it prime for outsourced entrepreneurs to come to House Niall to be able to make mines on the land, yet nothing has passed through the Trade Tribunal just yet. The sizable amount of stone have led some to ask to establish a quarry, a sentiment that Lord Niall had professed to be a 'good idea' to help better build up the settlements into cities and make life on Ban'diel slightly less harsh. Lord Davrum Niall has also reached an agreement a Miss Jaharen Rutledge, a trade partner who has sent a reasonable sum of her own coffers, as well as supplies to help the Margrave retake the island during the Civil War of 626 K.C. Alliances Currently the House Niall has few allies due to their secluded location and lack of exposure to the world at large. Notable alliances include: * The Holy Order of the Light's Vigilants - Organized and Chartered by Sir Davrum Niall * The House of Rutledge Niall Niall Category:Houses, Clans and Tribes